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| Alexandra Diracles,"Be The Witness" installation view, Houston Street, NYC. Image via nathancummings.org. |
Curated by Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas
March 27 – October 2, 2014
This exhibition is on view Monday – Friday by appointment
only. Please email exhibits@nathancummings.org to
schedule a visit.
475 10th
Avenue, 14th Floor
New York,
NY
Hosted by
the Department of Photography & Imaging at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts
and The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Social in Practice: The Art of Collaboration is
an innovative exhibition curated by Deborah Willis, University
Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging, and Hank Willis Thomas, Photography &
Imaging alumnus, class of 1998.
Focused on the use of community collaboration and activism in art making, the
multimedia exhibition features artists, collectives and organizations based in
New York and around the world. All projects presented in the exhibition share
themes of community building and social activism and depend on collaboration to
achieve their impact. Through portraiture, documentary photography,
audio-visual installations, personal narratives and community initiatives, Social
in Practice: The Art of Collaboration reflects a wide span of
individuals' pursuits to use art as a platform for greater conversation.
Sonia Louise Davis facilitates
sidewalk family portraits to document life along a Harlem street. Russell Frederick mentors
inner-city teenage boys in an attempt to guide them away from violence and
provide them support and leadership. Wyatt Gallery collects and organizes iPhone photos from photographers
who captured the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Lonnie Graham's garden project addresses the issues of nourishment,
subsistence and prejudice in African American communities. Eric Gottesman works alongside
young people in Ethiopia whose lives had been affected by HIV/AIDS, producing
photographs and videos to raise awareness about the epidemic. Ayasha Guerin records
the triumphs of Bushwick's Afro-Caribbean community in beautifying their
neighborhood. Jamila Mohamad Hooker exchanges postcards to help eliminate the xenophobia
associated with Muslims and the Arabic language. Kristina Knipe tells a
photographic narrative of the personal struggles of people who have engaged in
self-harm. Lorie Novak's
photographs explore how art can be used to pursue activism and intervention,
particularly in regard to social issues in Mexico. Paul Owen's photographs bring
attention to the violence against women in Mexico. Lara Stein Pardo's Mobile
Public Studio encourages people to have their portrait taken spontaneously in a
public space. Richard Renaldi builds
unexpected relationships between strangers by asking them to pose together
intimately for a portrait. Noelle Theard's audio and photographic collaboration aims to improve the harsh
living conditions of three Brooklyn residences. Hong-An Truong's video and audio
installations record experimental educational and artistic exercises. Christine Wong Yap's make
things (happen) distributes free activity kits to encourage the public to
participate in artistic endeavor. Be The Witness is
a campaign organized by graduate students at New York University that works to
exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals. The Laundromat Project brings
art into everyday public spaces, reinforcing the use of creativity in
maintaining community networks. Question Bridge Interactive's trans-media initiative seeks to promote
dialogue between black males of all backgrounds in order to redefine black male
identity in America.
The Nathan Cummings Foundation is
rooted in the Jewish tradition and committed to democratic values and social
justice, including fairness, diversity, and community. We seek to build a
socially and economically just society that values nature and protects the
ecological balance for future generations; promotes humane health care; and
fosters arts and culture that enriches communities.
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